In addition to the big stories we covered today, Wire-to-Wire provides you with some of the other key rock and metal news items from Dec. 27, 2017:

- Bret Michaels will host a New Year's Eve show via StageIt, with a portion of the proceeds from the night going to his Life Rocks Foundation charitable arm to aid Wounded Warriors and diabetes organizations. He'll play several acoustic tracks and take part in a Q&A and bidders can donate to get the guitar, hat and shirt he wears at the show. All winners will also get a meet-and-greet at a future Michaels show. For more details and to get a ticket for the online show, click here.

- Pearl Jam have sent out their annual fan club holiday single, which this year includes a soundcheck version of "Alive" with Dave Krusen behind the kit from their rehearsals for the 2017 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The B-side was also taken from the Rock Hall rehearsal as they covered Chuck Berry's "Around and Around." The band also issued a video message to fans for the holidays that can be seen here.

- Who's ready for something new from The Word Alive? New music is coming in 2018, but for now the band has posted a brief snippet of music just to whet your appetite. Take a listen here.

- Norma Jean will be hitting the road in March as they celebrate their Redeemer album by playing it in its entirety. Gideon, Toothgrinder and Greyhaven will join them on the run, which kicks off March 1 at the Masquerade in Atlanta.

- The ReAktion just released their Similitude album earlier this fall, but they've got a brand new track independent of that release to share with fans as a free download. Take a listen to "Everything Is Gonna Be Alright" and download it here.